


Their Story

by ajunetokki



Category: GOT7, TWICE (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Behind the Scenes, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-07-18 23:37:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7335622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ajunetokki/pseuds/ajunetokki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oh my god why do girl groups keep releasing songs everyday? Can I just have a day off please? Jungkook cried and mentally cursed the day he accidentally said he liked to learn girl group dances to hide the embarrassment when people found out he knew the Nobody dance. </p>
<p>She may deny it, but she doesn't have a problem with younger guys.<br/>He won't admit it, but he has a thing for older girls.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Another One

_Hey Jungkook, come here._ Taehyung called.

An exhausted Jungkook answered him. _What, I thought it was your turn to cook today._

_Yeah it is, you don’t have to remind me, this is different._ Taehyung groaned. _This is the new MV of the rookies from JYP._

_And?_ Jungkook questioned with his brows raised.

_You know they will ask you to do the dance, so try to learn it because you’re gonna have to anyway._ Taehyung said nonchalantly.

_Oh my god why do girl groups keep releasing songs everyday? Can I just have a day off please?_ Jungkook cried and mentally cursed the day he accidentally said he liked to learn girl group dances to hid the embarassement when people found out he knew the Nobody dance. To his defense, it was Nobody, everybody know how the dance to Nobody. Maybe he should not have freaked out and blurted a lie that will hunt him for the rest of his life.

He clicked on the MV anyway, because he knew there was no way out. He tried talking to his members and manager hyung about clearing the misunderstanding a million times already, but the reaction to his dancing girl group songs was so good, nobody wanted to let it go, to let him go.

_What kind of title is “OOH – AAH hage”? Does it even make sense?_ He signed. _OMG music these day._ Then he signed again remembering his own songs. _Whatever sells right?_

Watching through the MV, he was surprised to notice that it was quite catchy and good, you know most of the time the song is just one of the two. The dance seemed pretty easy so he found himself enjoy the song without too much burden at the back of his mind.

The chorus came, and she caught his eyes. The first girl to sing, and also the one to sing the first part of the chorus. So she must be one of the main vocals then. He thought and felt kinda impressed. Normally vocalists and visuals have their own strengths and positions in the group, meaning vocal and visual rarely go together. He himself is an exception, which called for the nickname Golden maknae. It was still quite embarassing for him to be called by that, but he was proud of himself, certainly.

_So she’s another one, huh._ He chuckled. The other girls were all really pretty, he admitted, but she was still the one stood out the most. _Must be the chorus._ He thought and started to watched the dance more carefully to remember it. Normally he only learnt the choruses, so he had to kept replaying her part. It did not help that he got distracted every single time, by her smile.

_Why are you smiling all the time? It’s not even a cheerful song._ He groaned slightly, not really irritated.

After giving the girls another thousand views, like a dedicated fan, he finally got the dance down. It was easy indeed.  So he honestly didn’t know the reason why he came back to watch the MV everyday. He also honestly didn’t know why he scroll down to the comment section to look for that certain comment where all the members’ names were listed out either. Well, maybe not entirely honestly though.

Her name was Nayeon.


	2. Expectations

_Momoring where are you? Dinner is ready!!_ Nayeon called out to Momo when everyone except the latter were all sitting on the floor in the living room, which also doubled as their dining table.

_I’m coming, 5 more seconds!_ And after the sound of nylon bags opening can be heard for 3 seconds, Momo appeared from her room, all sweaty.

_OMG why are you sweaty? I thought you said you would shower after learning that BTS dance._ Jungyeon scrunched her nose and asked.

_I really would, but that freaking dance is harder than I thought._ Momo smiled innocently and batted her eyelashes as a way to ask for the others’ permission to eat without showering first.

_Okay, everybody eat up, I’m so hungry I don’t think I can wait anymore, even with the fact that Momo only takes 15 minutes to shower._ Jihyo knew that pleading look in Momo’s eyes, and being the kind hearted leader she was, she let the latter off the hook. _But Momo, you need to take your share and eat it other there in the corner._

Momo happily complied as their living room is small, so it was not really a long distant from the others. It was just merely a punishment for the sake of it. Everyone also groaned just for the sake of it. Jihyo was always the soft one, and it was not the first time this happened actually.  

_Which one is it that you are learning, Momo unnie?_ Chaeyoung asked, as she was always the one joining Momo in practicing boy group dances. Last time, they had a really good time dancing to Call Me Baby by EXO. It was actually a good thing for the group’s reputation, so without discussing it out loud, the members all tried to learn the choreography to the currently popular songs, in case an opportunity emerges. Momo and Chaeyoung specialized in boy group dances, while Nayeon, Mina and Jihyo preferred girl group songs. But they joined in on the other group’s sessions all the time, so there was not much difference.

_It’s Dope. It is surprisingly fast and requires a lot of strength to merely keep up with the dance, let alone do it properly like the original._ Momo sighed remembering her failed attempts.

_Wow our Momoring finally meets with an obstacle haha. I am curious to see the dance now._ Nayeon, being the playful and closest unnie to both Momo and Chaeyoung, said while clicking her toungue to irritate the dancing machine of the group.

After all the girls finished eating and retreated to whatever they wanted to do with their free time, Chaeyoung opened the MV on Momo’s ipad and showed it to Nayeon while Momo took a shower. Of course Nayeon knew of BTS, they are mad famous right now. She can slightly recall learning their Run dance from Momo and Chae, but this Dope choreo was on another level. She admitted out loud with a stunned expression, which made Chaeyoung laughed.

_Now you see huh? I don’t even wanna know how long they have to practice to perfectly nail it in every performance like that. If our dance was half as hard and demanding as that one, I would have to ask PD nim to let me eat jokbal every single day, I swear to God._   Momo came out of the shower just in time to hear Nayeon’s exclaim and Chaeyoung’s laugh.

Momo sat down and they started discussing about the group BTS. Of course Chaeyoung, being one of the youngest and unfortunately the ones with the least solo activities and the most leisure time, had her favorite in the group, she even knew some of their nicknames and fandom jokes.

_This is the funny one, J-Hope, he is hilarious istg._ _And this Suga guy may seem energetic when performing like this, but he is actually a lazy ass, he even said that he wanted to be born as a rock in his next life._ Chaeyoung pointed at the two guys and ranted about them like a true ARMY.

_OMG really haha?_ Nayeon burst into laughter at the claim. _Wow I didn’t even know people can say that in interviews. He must be a weird one, then._

_Yeah, he surely is. And these two are the most popular one, V and Jungkook. V’s real name is Taehyung and I think he should have used it as his stage name instead, it’s good._ Chaeyoung said, eyebrows furrowed, a bit unsatisfied at the lack of justice for V’s real name. _Taehyung is popular for being the crazy funny and variety-show worthy one while Jungkook is the Golden Maknae._

_Yeah? I have read about that in one comment but really I have no idea why._ Momo looked at the younger one curiously waiting for an answer.

_Because he is a special one, he can sing and dance really well, he has the visual, and also is the maknae._ Chaeyoung expertly explained.

_Wow, really? I have never heard about one like that in our generation. He really has it all huh?_ Nayeon said feeling quite jealous because she can sing and all, but her dance is not that good comparing to the whole group. Although all the members placed her only behind Momo in dancing, she knew Mina was better.

Nayeon is always the most hard-working out of the nine girls, being Park Jin Young’s favorite does come with a responsibility after all. Not only JYP, but everyone expects the most from her, too. She is the oldest, she is chosen to be the center, she gets the most invites for variety shows. Yet at the same time, she has to sing and dance properly, being the center on stage in most of their songs. People may argue that Tzuyu is the most popular member, and that she is the real visual of TWICE. That was true, currently. But a good looking face and a great body is not enough. The center is chosen by her image and how close and fitting it is to the group’s overall image. Take APink for example, Eunji is the most popular with her vocal, friendly personality and acting skill, but she has a girl next door down-to-earth image. APink is portrayed as innocent and cute girls, and Naeun has just the right image. She seems cute and innocent, but a little bit hard to approach, too. The same things goes with SNSD and Yoona. Taeyeon is the main vocal and pretty, but her image is not as suitable as Yoona.

So hearing an idol group member having it all, Nayeon was jealous, certainly. No matter how much she trained vocally, how hard she practiced her dancing, how many hours she spent learning about variety skills, she would never be the best. She would never be able complete her role as the center of TWICE, to fulfill others’ expectation of her, and her own expectation of herself.

She would never be enough.

She knew that.

Yet she was the first one to arrive and the last one to leave the practice room everyday.

Sometimes, she just wanted to give up, to accept that fact and settle for less. More than a couple times she was frustrated at herself. She worked her ass off but she could never be like that guy.

_Must be easy for you huh?_  She thought and bitterly chuckled.

So unconsciously, she felt intimidated by him, the Golden Maknae.

His name was Jungkook.


	3. GOTWICE

151226\. BTS and GOT7 had been practicing really hard for their special stage together for MAMA in Hong Kong. They had one week to get to know each other and practice the choreography, so they alternated between BTS’s and GOT7’s practice room. There was not much difference in the actual room itself, but the building, surely there was. All BTS members were amazed at the internal design and the facility of the JYP building. It sure was much bigger than Bighit’s, also more modern and convenient. There was a hall for artists and trainees to hang around during break time, it resembled a cafe with white neat tables and chairs, only there was no counter and no waiter or waitress whatsoever. There was a vending machine, though.

Once done practicing, the GOT7 boys invited BTS to the hall to rest a little bit before going back to their respective dorms. Jackson, Bambam and Yugyeom seemed to get on really well with the Bighit boys, especially Rapmon, Taehyung and J-Hope. Maybe because they all had the out going, easy-to-make-friend kind of personality. While the 6 of them joked around noisily, the rest just sat lazily, focusing on their phones. Well except for Suga, he actually didn’t bring his phone, he just stared into thin air and breathed, lips forming a small smile so the others knew he was lost in his own world, as usual.

Somewhere in the middle of the loud jokes and even louder laughters, Yugyeom managed to get his phone out and texted one of his closest noonas, Nayeon. _Nayeonie, tell Chaeyoungie that BTS is in the house. Hall, 10 minutes. And don’t even think about asking me to get their autographs for her._

Nayeon was binge-watching her favorite drama of all time, Reply 1997, when she got the text. Chaeyoung was actually playing games on her phone right next to her on the couch, so she just gave Chae the text and turned her attention back to the drama.

Chaeyoung, being the hyperactive maknae she was, squealed loudly and started to shake Nayeon. _Unnie, unnie, unnie, BTS is sitting in the hall right now, OMG OMG!!!_ After hearing her own high-pitch voice, she calmed down a little bit to keep the swag girl image, but Nayeon knew her favorite dongsaeng better and chuckled. Chaeyoung continued shaking Nayeon, trying to keep her voice normal. _Let pretend we have business there and go meet them now. Maybe I can casually slipped in and said hi to Taehyung. Come on, let’s go now!_

_No, Chae. First, I am near the end of episode 2, and Yoonjae is about to kiss Siwon, and I am not going to miss this, hell I don’t even know why I’m pausing to talk to you. Second, BTS are resting after their dance practice, so we should not bother them. And finally, they have just finished practicing, so I’m pretty sure you won’t like the sight of your precious Taehyung being all sweaty sitting with a bunch of other sweaty boys._ Nayeon said, trying to calm Chaeyoung down and realized too late that she just did the opposite.

_OMG I should bring them towels!!! No, it’ll be weird. Let’s see, how can I justify carrying a bunch of towels around casually? Maybe I’ll say I’m bringing them for GOT7, no, I don’t care about those guys..._ Chaeyoung continued to contemplate her plan while Nayeon just laughed at how silly her dongsaeng was right now.

_Chae, I’m not going to meet them, and I think you shouldn’t either. We don’t know them, so it’ll be awkward as hell. Also, JB’s there, so..._ Nayeon sighed.

_Oh..._ Chaeyoung uttered at the realization. _But... come on, you guys dated for a year back in the trainee days, it was such a loooong time ago. Are you planning on never seeing him again?_ The rapper reasoned with her unnie with a firm voice. They had been here before. The same conversation, a couple of times already. The result never changed.

_If you must know, I actually plan to stay here and watch dramas for the rest of my life. Yesss, I will curl into this bunny blanket and die!!!_ Nayeon half yelled half whined, holding the said blanket tightly like her life depended on it. She was childish. Like. A. Lot. When it came to anything even remotely concerning her love life.

Chaeyoung laughed seeing her unnie acting ridiculous. It was not rare, but it was still hilarious. _Okay okay, I won’t force you. This is like the 8 thousand times we’ve talked about this, and I don’t think this time I can magically change your mind. But..._ Chae paused for 2 seconds, then  suddenly hug Nayeon really tight. _I will totally hug you and never let go,come on let’s die together hahaha!!!_

Nayeon laughed along with Chaeyoung, feeling glad that her favorite dongsaeng knew how she felt and respected her. Moreover, it was not like she did not care about JB anymore, she still heard about him from Jinyoung and Mark every now and then. It was more like she was afraid of what she would feel once they met again. She didn’t know, but JB felt the same way. That was why they could avoid each other for so long, despite being in the same circle of friends, most of whom had the tendency to drag the person next to them to whichever gathering they were invited to.

151230\. MAMA in Hong Kong. GOT7 arrived first and hurried to rehearse the performance with BTS. TWICE got a last minute notice, only had 2 hours to pack and got on the plane. It was a coincident that they decided to dye their hair for fun 2 days before, because they thought they had no more schedule for at least another month. Now their hair were all some funky color, some pretty bizarre.

Being the last minute invite, TWICE did not get to perform, but they knew it was partly because they had just debut in October. Not important enough, probably. That and the only reason they got invited was because of JYP. They may be popular with the crowd, but TWICE was still nothing in the industry, where idol groups are judged more harshly than ever. Even if you did pretty well for a rookie group, you still got a lot to learn, and a lot more to prove.

TWICE was just happy they got to attend and watch the performances. They also won the award for Best rookie group. Not entirely unexpected. But they had to act surprised, of course. They had a lot of fans, they knew and felt really grateful. But at the same time, kinda wished they didn’t. There was whispers about how they just hit it off because of the brand name JYP, because of Sixteen, because of their visuals, and many more reasons, but not their hard work or talents. It was partly true, and they knew. They also knew it would be a long way to go before they got acknowledged. They were still freaking grateful, anyway.

After the show, backstage. Yugyeom walked with Chaeyoung, they talked about the Rookie award and the special performance of GOT7 and BTS. _Congrats, Chae. I must say you have improved a lot, your surprised face was quite believable haha._ Yugyeom joked.

_Yeah, and you totally nailed the special stage. I almost looked at you once._ Chaeyoung shot back. Chaeyoung and Yugyeom were always playful with each other like that. Just like Nayeon and JB before they got together and fell apart. But of course, they were 4 different people after all.

Nayeon was walking between her best guy-friends-slash-oppas, Jinyoung and Mark. They got along really well despite the different personalities. Nayeon was always the talkative one, Mark listened and replied, Jinyoung would sometimes joined in with a joke. Jinyoung may seemed nice and all when he acted in dramas, but he was actually really hard to approach, even more than Mark. So it was not a surprise when Jinyoung told Nayeon he did not talk with any of the BTS guys.

_Oh man, you should try and socialize at least. I heard they were very friendly and funny. Come on, next time, try harder. Do it for me, your lovable favorite dongsaeng, okay?_ Nayeon did aegyo by making bunny ears and batted her eyelashes.

_Oh yeah, that reminds me. There is one member in BTS that also has bunny teeth like you, though they are not as bizarre as yours haha._ Jinyoung joked and pretended to be in pain when Nayeon hit his arm. _I think his name is Jungkook, the maknae._

_Him again._ Nayeon thought slightly uneasy but kept her straight face. _I knew him, but to be honest I think that Suga guy is more interesting._ She did not lie, she did find Suga to be quite fascinating, he was different, not trying to be crazy or funny all the time like his members.

Especially not like a childish Jungkook.


	4. On Stage

30th Golden Disk Awards.

TWICE was beyond excited to know that they not only got invited but also got to perform a special stage this time, at such a big award show too. It was a dance performance, and the girls were divided into 3 groups: Powerful, Cute, and Sexy. There was not much room for discussion, as they all knew each member's image and thus which group they belonged to.

Powerful: Momo, Mina, Jihyo.

Cute: Nayeon, Dahyun, Tzuyu.

Sexy: Jungyeon, Chaeyoung, Sana. 

Nayeon was seperated from her closest members, Jungyeon, Jihyo, Momo and Chaeyoung. Of course all of them were close to each other, but there was always a different kind of bond between the original 6mix members, NaJungJi, probably because they had known one another for the longest, and had been through a lot more together. And Momo and Chaeyoung were Nayeon's favorite dongsaengs for no special reasons, they just got along with her better. The three of them liked the same movies, laughed at the same jokes, and they communicated more easily.

It was normal for a group of friends, especially when said group consists of more than 4 people, to have subgroups. It was not like they did not get along with the others or there was some kind of conflicts. Some members simply liked to hang out with certain members more than the others. All idol groups were the same. No big deal.

There were subgroups within TWICE, some more close-knitted than the others. Momo was certainly close with her Japanese fellow members, Mina and Sana, but the other two seemed to know each other better, and shared similar personalities, too. So Momo came to her favorite unnie, Nayeon. Nayeon welcomed her easily. Nayeon laughed at her silliness, but played along with her. Nayeon let Momo took care of her, and looked out for the younger one, too.

Jihyo, being the leader,  took the burden upon herself to take care of Tzuyu, their introvert foreign maknae. Ever since the Taiwan – China incident, Jihyo had been nothing less of a mother and a sister to Tzuyu, so the younger had a tendency to come to Jihyo for comfort and warmth. On variety shows, Jihyo always looked at Tzuyu to see if the latter was okay, if she was not understanding anything, or just to give Tzuyu a chance to talk. It was not random Jihyo was the usual choice to accompany Tzuyu in non-group activities.

The oldest in maknae-line, Dahyun, was kinda special. She was taught to be independent since very young. Independent, as in can handle herself properly and also in being a little bit distant from people who were not her family. Even the fans could see that Dahyun came from a different educational background from the others. Hers was more strict, more defined, and more demanding. Hence, she always seemed more polite, more in-control than the rest of the group, especially her fellow maknaes. She also had a competitive spirit within herself, the good kind, not the kind that fueled jealousy. But she tried to do well in everything, sometimes she tried too hard. Park Jin Young noticed this since her trainee days, and gave her the advice to be more relaxed, more open to others. Dahyun was still trying.

Chaeyoung was undeniably one of the most talented members of the group, despite her young age. They all knew this. Ever since she became a member of TWICE, it was almost like Chaeyoung had to suppress herself. She did not intend to do that, though. Unconsciously, she stepped away from the spotlight, and settled for being the cute and innocent but kinda swag maknae of her unnies. Nayeon knew Chaeyoung the best, and accepted her even when she was still the insanely talented and kinda threatening Chaeyoung on Sixteen. So Chaeyoung chose Nayeon as her favorite member.

160121\. 30th Golden Disk Awards. All the girls practiced nonstop for the dance performance, and they nailed it. The reactions they got were good, the fans loved it.

When they got to stand on the ending stage with other artists, they were honored. When Jonghyun waved at them, when Amber told them to stand in the center, when EXO walked by and bowed at them, they were excited. When Nayeon got to stand behind and look at Krystal, her ultimate idol, from a close distant, she was ecstatic. She was actually crying and jumping and going crazy inside, but managed to keep a straight face. The other TWICE members just  laughed seeing their oldest unnie struggled not to look at the famous girl crush sunbaenim too much.

BTS was also invited. The boys also stood on the ending stage, right behind TWICE actually. So of course, of course Suga had to nudge Jungkook and point to the recently popular girl group. Jungkook and the other boys just nodded in acknowledgement. It went without saying that while in front of the fans, especially thousands of fans who were recording their every moves with ridiculously expensive ultra-HD cameras, idols should look and only look at the crowd in front of them, not some other idols. No matter how pretty or handsome they are. Or how cute she seemed just looking at the back of her head.

Jungkook also should not wonder how her voice sounded when she said greetings and bowed to the sunbaes. How bright was her smile when she waved at the fans. Did she feel overwhelmed by the crowd, just like him at the beginning? Or did she feel grateful for everything, just like him right now?

Unexpected and totally out-of-place questions kept running through his mind. He shook his head, focused back to his hyungs and joined them in doing fan service. Fans were the reasons for their success, for everything they achieved so far, after all. This is the least he can do for them, solely for them. Because singing and dancing and performing were for his dream, for himself. He felt thankful for all the love he received from total strangers, people who hadn’t even spoken to him, but knew his name, watched over him and supported him. He wished he could do more for them, so he winked and did aegyo, he flirted and played with their heartbeats because he knew they liked that. It was all part of being an idol. People don’t spend their time and money on idols for nothing. They look for entertainment, but they also expect to feel something they cannot find in their normal life. A handsome boy who looked straight into their eyes and made their heart flutter, for example.

_Hey you look flat. What’s on your mind?_ Taehyung asked, not looking at his face, still smiling and making a heart with his fingers at the fans.

_Nothing, just, exactly how people expect us to grow up to be normally functional adults in this industry again?_ Jungkook answered nonchalantly with a question.

_I have no idea either, so I stopped wondering after our 2 nd debut anniversary. _Jimin suddently spoke.

_I thought you stopped trying to be sane, and started trying to be Satan instead._ J-Hope joked.

_Hey I’m not the only playboy in this group okay? Our precious maknae here is already setting eyes on his next target, if you must know._ Jimin pretended to blow and pat dirt off Jungkook’s left shoulder.

Jungkook turned to Jimin looking all puzzled. _Excuse me, hyung, why am I being dragged into this?_

_Oh come on, do you want me to unlock your phone and take a photo of your message list right now?_ Jimin threatened the maknae jokingly.

_It’s common sense to reply if people text you. I don’t recall asking girl group members  to give me their phone numbers, flirting with them and then not answering their calls._ Jungkook said, clearly not amused by his hyung’s accusation. 

Suga stepped in before the argument became serious. _Guys, focus. Do you even realize where we are right now? There must be at least a thousand cameras down there._ He gestured to the crowd of fans.

_Okay._ They all complied as Suga was actually the big boss in the group despite his wandering mind and seemingly carefree attitude. He was always the sensible one, in charge of keeping the other members out of troubles, like just now. 

They got back to listening to the MCs, waving and doing fan service to the crowd.

_And what did you mean by me setting eyes on my next target?_ Jungkook whispered to Jimin after a while, careful not to alert Suga again.

_Oh my, don’t tell me you seriously think we bought the whole watch-the-MV-everyday-to-learn-the-choreography bullshit._ Jimin deadpanned, slightly amused by how innocent his maknae still was. _And you only replayed one girl’s part. That girl in the red shirt in front of us, and I know you know who I mean because you have been staring at her ever since we got here._

After a short pause, he smirked.

_Too bad, I heard she’s JB’s girl._


	5. Mistaken

_Jungkook is a “manly man”_ , his hyungs often joked, but it was in fact partly true. If he took interest in a girl, he would try to win her heart. What if Jimin said she was taken? He would need to confirm it before giving up. So he hung out with the GOT7 members more, from time to time trying to slip in a casual question about TWICE like a normal idol curious about a rising rookie group. Questions about vocal ability and behind-the-scene personality did not give his real object of interest away.

However, JB and Jinyoung still had their doubts about the so-called innocent enquiries. Compared to them, BTS was more popular with girl groups, and was rumored to be a little bit too friendly towards them, too. GOT7’s overall image was nice and goofy boys who were fun to be with, kinda like the boy-next-door stereotype. BTS, on the other hand, had the image of bad boys and mischievous heart-throbs. So Mark, JB and Jinyoung, basically GOT7’s hyung-line with the exception of an overly-extrovert Jackson, unconsciously acted like TWICE’s over-protective brothers.

All BTS members were nice and sensible though. So when both groups ran into TWICE once in a cafe just outside JYP building, GOT7 kindly introduced the boys to them. TWICE, being the polite little sisters meeting friends of her brothers, bowed and smiled when saying their greetings. Jungkook did not miss the way JB and Nayeon seemed uncomfortable and avoided each other’s eyes.

One time, Jungkook decided to ask his fellow 97-liner Yugyeom, the one he was closest with out of the 7 guys, about the supposed couple. _Hey, I know they are still young but are any of you guys dating TWICE?_ He needed to start slow in order to not sound suspicious.

_What? Of course not man. I thought you would have heard about our company’s 3-year dating ban._ Yugyeom was taken aback by the question and quickly denied although he wished it was not true. He himself had a crush on TWICE’s pretty rapper, Chaeyoung, but there was nothing he could do about the dating ban.

( _You wouldn’t have the guts to tell her either way man._ Bambam would say whenever he caught Yugyeom staring at Chaeyoung a little too long.)

_Oh, but I heard some rumors about JB hyung and Nayeon-ssi though?_ Jungkook was happy hearing Yugyeom answer, but still wanted to know for sure.

_Yeah, I don’t know if I should tell you this but... Actually they did date, it was way back in the trainee days though._ Yugyeom sighed, thinking about his favorite couple, his JB hyung and Nayeon noona. _You know how it is, too much practice and too little time, they must have fallen apart._

Yugyeom kept the fact that JB may still have feelings for Nayeon to himself, though. He did not think it was right to tell Jungkook about it.

_Oh, is that so?_ Jungkook couldn’t hide his smile hearing the news, making the GOT7’s maknae a little bit suspicious.

Before Yugyeom could brush it off, his mouth was faster than his brain. _Is there any chance you are interested in Nayeon noona?_

Jungkook was quite shocked, he then contemplated if he should told Yugyeom the truth. He did. _Yeah, she seems cool. I like cool girls. That’s all. It’s not like I have a crush on her or something. So there’s no need for you to tell her anything, right? Because that would only make things awkward between us. Not that there is anything between us though. Um..._ Okay, he may have said a little too much, he should  stop. After taking a second to breathe, he continued while trying to remain calm. _Yeah, all in all, you should forget everything I’ve just said. I think she’s cute, that’s all._

_OMG you totally have a crush on her, man. That’s the first time I’ve seen you being all flustered like that._ Yugyeom laughed seeing Jungkook turned slightly red. He suddenly remembered something, a popular fancam to be exact. _And that’s why you jumped like a maniac when she won at the Olympic championship right? Yes I saw the fancam, it spread like wild fire, I tell you. Jin hyung and Ken sunbaenim must have known huh? They laughed so hard at you haha._ Yugyeom couldn’t stop laughing and Jungkook kept lowering his head onto the table until he basically lay on top of it.

Jungkook decided to go down with pride. He got up and look into Yugyeom’s eyes. _Okay, I like her. No big deal._ He sighed. _Whatever, we haven’t even exchanged greetings._

_Come on man, it’ll pass, the crush, I mean. Because, even though I’m taller than her by a head, she still treat me like her younger brother. I don’t think she will ever be impressed by a younger guy, even if it’s you._ Yugyeom said empathetically. _I have to get back to practice now, try to cheer up, though._

_Okay, have fun at practice._ Jungkook waved goodbye at the taller guy. He was left alone in the JYP building hall. It was getting dark, probably almost 8pm now. As he had nothing better to do, he decided to hang around a little more, playing games on his phone.

\---

30 minutes later. The hall was now only half lighten, because nobody was there beside him. Everyone probably went home, except for some in the practice rooms.

A female voice suddenly spoke up, startling a focused Jungkook. _Sungjin oppa, why are you here? I thought you would be in studio with the guys._

He paused the game and looked up. Everything stopped. It was Nayeon. Im Nayeon. The Im Nayeon. Im Nayeon was smiling at him, expecting an answer.

Before Jungkook could say anything, anything at all, Nayeon sat down into the chair opposite of him, hands under her chin, eyes looking out the window next to them, and let out a sigh. _She must have just finished practicing_ , he noted from the way she dressed comfortably.

Nayeon didn’t seem to have realized that the man in front of her was not Day6 Sungjin, a close oppa of her. She wasn’t wearing her glasses, and suffering from myopia of 5 diopters, she couldn’t see very clearly in the half-lighten hall. To her defense, it was widely known that Jungkook and Sungjin looked a lot alike.

Despite them being almost complete strangers, it was a comfortable silence between them. Jungkook observed her closely and decided to keep quiet about her misunderstanding, because when will he have a chance to be this close to her again? Nayeon, on the other side of the table, closed her eyes and enjoyed the serenity of the night. She was not her usual talkative self. She was tired from hours of practicing alone, the reason why recently she was missing from TWICE’s dorm. Their promotion ended and the other members were resting at home, treasuring their precious days off, but the pressure to be the center never left her alone.  

Moreover, Nayeon needed something to distract her from the internet. There was recently a fancam of BTS Jungkook’s hyperactive reaction when she won in the Olympic Championship, and the guy’s fangirls didn’t hesitate to leave bashing comments on the video. She didn’t do anything, hell she didn’t even appear in the fancam, yet she was treated like the bad guy. She tried to tell herself she wasn’t affected by it, but she was actually frustrated. Dancing helped ease her mind, singing helped shut out all the noise. Inside the practice room, her heart and mind were finally at peace. So Nayeon practiced until late.

_I’m tired._ Nayeon said almost like a whisper and decided to rest her head on the table, still with her eyes closed. _Sungjin oppa must know I’m exhausted, he didn’t say anything._ She thought. She suddenly felt a hand slightly pat her head. Nayeon opened her eyes, surprised, but it felt comfortable so she closed her eyes again and stayed still.

Jungkook didn’t think much before letting his hand touch her hair. Seeing her like that, he knew something must be bothering her. He just wanted to comfort her, and he did.

The corner of her lips slowly turned upward into a smile.

After a while, Nayeon suddenly popped her head up and said cheerfully. _Oppa, let’s go get some ice cream. I’m hungry. Your treat!_ She smiled with her eyes turning into crescents, showing her bunny teeth.  There was no reply so she continued. _Because I didn’t bring any money, please oppa!!!_

Jungkook was surprised but happy to see that her mood improved. Also her smile. And her bunny teeth. So he simply nodded. She grabbed his arm and dragged him out of JYP building. They walked for 5 minutes and arrived at a ice cream shop. She entered first and ran to the counter. Jungkook walked behind her, amused by the new Nayeon that he got to know in real life, not from any video on Youtube.

Nayeon took out her glasses from her bag and put them on to look at the menu on the wall. After deciding that she would have cherry ice cream, she turned to Sungjin to ask him what he wanted. _This isn’t Sungjin oppa._ She thought and turned to look behind her, but there was no one else near her except this strange guy, who was looking at her like he knew her. _Who is this guy? He looks familiar, is he a new trainee?_

Jungkook also turned to look at her. He chuckled seeing her with glasses for the first time. _She looked cute with glasses._ And suddenly he felt something was wrong. _Glasses?_

She finally realized who he was.  _BTS Jungkook???_


	6. 6. Ice Cream

_BTS Jungkook???_

Nayeon nearly shouted, so Jungkook had to put his hand on her mouth to stop her from saying anything else. Because although it was kinda late, there were still some people in the shop. They wouldn’t want a first-page Dispatch article about a BTS and a TWICE member seen together shoved into their faces tomorrow. Definitely not.

_Shhh._ He shushed her and looked around before dragging her to one of the tables in the corner, so no one would pay attention to them.

Nayeon’s eyes nearly popped out from their sockets from all the staring she was doing. Looking at him, a thousand questions started to appear in her head. _Why is he here? OMG did I mistake him for Sungjin oppa? Why didn’t he say anything though? Why was he in the JYP hall all alone in the first place anyway? Again, why didn’t he say anything? Did he even know me? Is it really him?_

After breathing for a few seconds trying to calm down, Jungkook decided to introduce himself. In this situation, the least thing he could do is to be polite. _Annyeonghaseyo, I’m BTS Jungkook. And I’m sorry, um… for not saying anything when you mistook me for someone else. You must be really shocked._

Nayeon stayed silent, actually it was more like she was speechless. It was not the first time she made this type of mistake, but people usually corrected her right away. Why didn’t he? _Arg, really this guy! I don’t even have a good impression of you in the first place._ She thought, obviously intimidated.

She continued glaring at him, her eyebrows furrowed, so he felt the need to explain more. _You see, I was hanging out with Yugyeom, but then he went to practice. I had nothing else to do so I stayed in the hall. Then you came, Nayeon-ssi..._ He didn’t know what else to say, so he stopped. Then he got the feeling she would probably be angry, so he guiltily added. _And I really really like your songs?_

_Sunbaenim, you didn’t explain why you kept quiet about the misunderstanding._ Nayeon said with a firm voice and looked straight into his eyes. Her patience was wearing thin.

Jungkook realized that he had no way to avoid this, so he gathered every last bit of courage he had and spoke up. _Um the truth is I was quite shocked at first, and I really was gonna correct you. But you seemed exhausted, so I stayed quiet because I didn’t want to freak you out and trouble you with an awkward apology. Then you lay down on the table so I wanted to comfort you…_

Her eyebrows relaxed and her look softened, he mentally noted. He didn’t know why words kept flowing out through his lips though.

_And maybe, just maybe, I am not even sure about this myself, and I have no idea since when, but somehow, I have a crush on you?_

Okay, maybe that was a little too freaking much information. Jungkook didn’t have the gut to look at Nayeon while saying all that, so he stared at his hands which were fidgeting on the table. After finishing, he took a peek at her.

She became speechless, again, in the span of 5 minutes, which was a rare incident for Im Nayeon who always had to have the last word of any argument. She didn’t know what to think. She actually forgot about the hand patting her head a little while ago, but now that Jungkook mentioned it, she felt embarrassed. Nayeon was never the type to show her weak side to people who were not close, let alone a stranger like Jungkook. And he said he had a crush on her. _What kind of joke was that? This sunbae probably met me twice at most. We exchanged greetings once, and have never actually talked. So what’s with the sudden crush?_

Nayeon couldn’t help but feel annoyed at the guy in front of her right now. She got up and was about to leave, when a waitress came and asked for their order. He looked at her and said sincerely. _Please sit down, didn’t you say you wanted ice cream? I’m really sorry about before, so I’ll treat you._

Jungkook didn’t seem like he meant bad, and the waitress was looking at her expectantly, so Nayeon had no choice but to sit back down. Moreover, he was right, she wanted ice cream.

However, she won’t let him know her favorite ice cream flavor, yeah she was childish like that. He probably would order the same thing, just to get on her good side. _Two scoops of mint ice cream please._ Mint was her least favorite flavor ever, not only ice cream but for every type of food, drink, candy, etc. Ironically, her favorite color was mint.

Nayeon looked at him, expecting him to say the same order. However, to her surprised, Jungkook said. _Two scoops of cherry ice cream please._

She couldn’t believe her ears. _Did he just order my all-time favorite flavor? How did he know? Does he have the ability to read mind? Oh my, please God don’t let him have the ability to read mind!_ People may think it was ridiculous, but Nayeon believed in supernatural ability. _Okay sunbae, if you are listening right now, I totally did not recall the image of your abs at Idol Championship when I first recognized you, I freaking swear!!!_

While Nayeon was busy doubting Jungkook and the probability of him having the ability, the waitress came back with their orders. Nayeon took the mint ice cream, made a face at the smell and proceeded to take several photos of the bowl. People would say she was taking too much food photos, but she didn’t care. She wanted to treasure all the good-looking food in the world. _What’s not to love of a precious thing which is both delicious and pretty?_ She would argue.

 When she was done, she pushed the bowl towards him, coldly said with a polite smile. _You can have it sunbaenim, I hate mint flavor. You don’t have to feel sorry and treat me. It was no big deal, really._

Normally, he would refuse and insist that she eat the ice cream, followed by a little awkward push and pull. Nayeon already foresaw that, so she said she hated mint flavor. Now there was no way he could make her accept it. At least that was what she thought.

_Okay, here._ Jungkook calmly took her bowl and pushed his bowl of cherry ice cream to her side, which took her by surprise, again. _I don’t know you hate mint, but I know you like cherry. And no, Nayeon-ssi I can’t read your mind, so don’t look at me like that._

And Nayeon was more convinced than ever that he actually could. She narrowed her eyes at him, confused and curious and suspecting.

Jungkook paused, looking like he was contemplating something, and decided to do it. He wanted her to know anyway. _You said it yourself, in a fansign. I watched your fancams sometimes when I have free time... Just eat it, Nayeon-ssi. If you don’t want to, don’t see it as my apology. You wanted ice cream, and I want to buy you ice cream. That’s it._ Jungkook looked straight into her eyes.

Then he turned his attention to the mint ice cream and began eating. Nayeon was still stunned. She had just learnt that Jungkook was not the type to beat around the bush, quite the opposite actually, he was direct as hell. And maybe, just maybe, he was serious when he said he had a crush on her.

_What? I’m so cool that you’re at a loss for words?_  Jungkook said playfully without looking up.

_No, sunbae, I’m speechless because I didn’t know you were that much obsessed with me._ Nayeon was never the one to step down from sarcastic joking. However, she took the the bowl with as smile. T _hank you sunbae._ She said gratefully, accepting the sincere gesture because she was not that much of a brat.

Jungkook was glad the tension was gone. He giggled to himself at the appearance of the infamous bunny teeth. _She really is a real bunny however you see it._

The ice cream seemed to have cheer her up, so he took the chance to start a conversation. _So Nayeon-ssi why were you practicing alone? Is there a special performance coming up? That is, if you don’t mind me asking._

_It’s okay sunbae. No, there is no special performance. I just wanted to come. Practicing helps me stay focused, and distracts me from unnecessary things._ Nayeon honestly said.

They continued eating in silence when Nayeon suddenly spoke up. _Jungkook sunbae, I’m sorry about before. It was actually my mistake in the first place, but I got angry at you._ Nayeon bowed.

Jungkook was surprised at the fact that she said his name for the first time. It sounded nice. _So we were both at fault there, let’s settle it as a draw, so none of us has to apologize anymore. Okay?_ He held up his fist, before realizing a little late that she was a girl and may not know what a fist bump was.

Nayeon nodded and bumped his fist with her own. Jungkook thought to himself. _I was right,_ _she is cool._  

When they finished, Nayeon was restless realizing she just made him treat her food when he was not only a sunbae, but also a stranger. So she said. _Jungkook sunbae, let’s exchange phone numbers._

Jungkook lighted up at her offer.

_I want to treat you back some other time._ She quickly continued, not wanting him to misunderstand.

His smile faltered. He said frankly. _Nayeon-ssi, I told you, you don’t owe me anything. I had fun anyway so don’t feel like you have to repay me. We don’t have to keep in touch either._

_But I want to._ Nayeon blurted out before she could stop herself. _I mean, you seem nice and you look like Sungjin oppa, so I think we will get along well._ She laughed, intended to lessen the embarrassment caused by her slip of tongue.

_Okay then, I want to be your friend too. I would suggest dropping the honorifics, but I don’t want to call you noona. So I guess I’ll stick with Nayeon-ssi._ Jungkook said honestly. He didn’t tell her that he may also enjoy being called “Jungkook sunbae” by her a little too much.

Nayeon didn’t know what to say. _This guy really is straightforward huh?_  She also thought he was interesting and not at all like her original opinion of him. So she nodded and handed him her phone.

He did the same. They proceeded to enter their numbers and save them.

Jungkook waited at the door with Nayeon until her manager came. They didn’t say anything, but it was not at all awkward. She waved goodbye at him, and he had his answer for the question of how bright her smile was, the one he had when he stood behind her at the 30th Golden Disc Awards.

While walking home, Jungkook recalled the surprise encounter with her today and took out his phone.  He saw the name she saved her number under. _Nayeon-ssi._ He laughed at her attempt.

Nayeon was sitting in her manager’s van, zoning out. She opened her phone to look at the time. It was nearly 10pm. She was curious, so she look for his name in her contact list. _I wonder if he find it funny._ She giggled remembering her attempt to joke. She was actually quite satisfied with it.

Besides, deep down, she didn’t want to be called noona. It made her feel old and mature and have to take on all kinds of responsibilities. She was the oldest in her group, but sometimes she felt tired having to act the role. Sometimes, she wanted to be treated free food, too. She wanted to turn off the alarm in the morning and continued sleeping until someone came to wake her up, too. She wanted someone to pat her head and tell her she did a good job, too. Sometimes, she just missed being taken care of.

 So she smiled seeing the name he saved his number under. _Jungkook sunbae._

 


End file.
